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By Aman Sharma
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The Buffalo Bills spent their opening six games winning in spite of a defense that kept bleeding points.
Something has changed since the Week 7 bye. After a 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings on “Monday Night Football,” linebacker Greg Rousseau told the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski the shift is here to stay.
“Last week wasn’t a fluke,” Rousseau said. “It’s what we are. It’s what we can do. We just have to keep going.”
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The numbers back him up. Buffalo held the Baltimore Ravens to 144 yards in a 36-10 Week 8 win, then limited Minnesota to 178.
Six sacks and six takeaways came in those two games. Rousseau dropped the quarterback in both and has eight sacks on the season.
It’s a sharp reversal. Buffalo allowed 29 or more points in five of six games before the bye, and opponents averaged better than 386 yards, warning signs a 5-1 record partly masked.
Carson Wentz absorbed the worst of it. The Vikings quarterback completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards with two interceptions and an 8.9 passer rating.
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Only one Vikings starter with 20 or more attempts has posted a lower single-game mark in franchise history. Max Brosmer took over, and Minnesota still dropped its second straight game after a 6-0 start.
On “SportsCenter,” host Scott Van Pelt asked Rousseau how Buffalo kept Wentz “in hell” all game.
“That’s our mindset every week,” Rousseau said. “We rushed solid. We rushed solid up front, and same with the DBs. DBs were strapped in the back end.”
Buffalo’s offense needed the breathing room after a slow start. Quarterback Josh Allen went 21 of 31 for 234 yards and a touchdown, and running back James Cook churned out 107 yards and a score on 31 carries.
There’s a catch, though. Joe Fagnano played quarterback for most of the Baltimore game, and Wentz ran Minnesota’s offense, which makes it tough to pin the turnaround solely on defensive tweaks.
General manager Brandon Beane can still add help before the trade deadline, and matchups with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins follow. Buffalo’s sterner defensive exams sit further down the schedule.
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